How do college coaches find enough talented players to fill their teams?
Do they come to Rye High or Rye Neck or Rye Country Day and sit in the stands scouting the football players or baseball players or swimmers? No, they don’t. Do they attend the showcase camps where high-level prospects display what they can do? Some do, a lot don’t.
So how does a varsity athlete in the Rye area get a coach’s – and a school’s – attention?
Adam Kessner and Steve Miller, two Rye fathers whose sons have just successfully survived the college recruiting process, have started a business, CSA Recruits LLC, to pass on what they’ve learned to up-and-coming varsity athletes and their families.
The two men are in a good position to know what to do: Each played Division 1 baseball in college, and each has an offspring who’s currently an all-star high school athlete. In Miller’s case, it’s senior A.J. Miller, quarterback of Rye’s state champion football team, who’s going to play at Syracuse University in the fall. In Adam Kessner’s case, it’s junior Jake Kessner, a three-sport varsity starter for the Garnets who has been accepted at Princeton, among other colleges, with another full year of high school to go.
The dads work with male and female athletes, regardless of their sport or the level of collegiate athletics they’re interested in, be it Division 1, 2, or 3. They started about a month ago with their first client, a female soccer player, and are in talks with athletes in several other sports.
“When you boil it down, getting into college [via athletics] is a little like online dating,” said Steve Miller, who spent 15 years in the technology-staffing sector before retiring and switching to stay-at-home dad. “You need to catch a coach’s eye so he or she will, well, swipe right. The idea is to get their interest and hold it with a regular series of communications, recom- mendations – maybe highlights from your week’s play to keep your name top-of-mind.”
Unlike Rick Singer – convicted mastermind of 2019’s highly publicized “Varsity Blues” college- admissions scandal, in which he manipulated eager (and monied) parents by helping them get their non-athlete children into prestigious schools by lining the pockets of collaborating coaches – Kessner and Miller don’t profess to have inside knowledge of the coaches or their schools.
What they do know is how parents and students can interest those coaches and schools in a teen’s athletic abilities – and, just as important, maintain those coaches’ interest.
Their service, they said, develops a recruitment strategy with the student-athlete and his or her family; provides a “marketing” schedule with specific timelines plus reports, graphics, and videos to showcase the student’s abilities; helps assemble a team of personal trainers to develop the candidate’s skills, speed, and strength; evaluates the athlete’s abilities for targeting the appropriate collegiate level and potential schools (with contact information for each); recommends sports camps to attend; and provides scripts on how to speak with coaches and what to talk about.
“The recruiting process was very tough and long,” A.J. Miller, the Rye varsity quarterback, said of his experience. “My dad and I worked tirelessly to get the exposure we felt I deserved and wasn’t receiving. I made my highlight reel and reached out to a lot of coaches via X [formerly Twitter] and email.
“We really went in-depth to reach as many coaches as we could, and I wouldn’t have been able to do it alone,” the younger Miller said. He noted on the new company’s website: “With the assistance of my dad and staying true to the system, I am proud to say that I will play football at Syracuse University.”
Jake Kessner has already seen a lot, too, even though he has another year of high school varsity sports ahead of him. “Being an athlete provides a major advantage to be accepted at a school that I would otherwise not get into,” he noted.
“My Dad basically worked a second job as my college recruiter and marketing manager,” he noted on the CSA Recruits website. “With his guidance and the formula he and Mr. Miller created, I now have multiple offers from amazing colleges.”
The process developed by the two fathers focuses on the athletes as well as the schools that may be
interested in their talents. A $4,999 upfront fee lasts until the student-athlete starts college. The pair also charge a $2,999 “success” fee should the student receive an offer from a college program.
“It’s all about proper marketing and engagement with coaches, but also holding the athlete accountable for doing what needs to be done to succeed,” said Adam Kessner, who founded and runs both a real estate investment marketing firm and sales advisory firm. “That includes proper training with speed, strength, and skills coaches. We also have a graphics team and videographer who will produce marketing product for our clients.
“Jake is still hearing from schools. He is in talks with more Ivies and also some ACC and Patriot League schools,” his father added. “CSA Recruits has a proven formula that works, no matter what level of collegiate play you’re suitable for – D1, 2, or 3, it doesn’t matter.”
